Crown's Maori pa request withdrawn with red faces

By ANGELA GREGORY

DARGAVILLE - A hasty ministerial plea to have a pa site sold to the Crown to help settle a Kaipara land claim ended in embarrassment when it was found the Crown already owned it.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Sir Douglas Graham recently wrote to Kaipara mayor Graeme Ramsey urging that his council consider selling a hilltop site near the Dargaville Maritime Museum to the Crown.

Sir Douglas wanted to be able to offer the culturally important spot to a Ngati Whatua hapu, Te Uri o Hau, as part of the settlement of a large land claim.

It was clear the return of the pa was at the heart of the settlement for many of the claimants, he said.

"Your assistance in this instance will therefore do much to ensure the successful conclusion of settlement negotiations."

Mr Ramsey dutifully called an urgent council meeting to consider the request.

Councillors gathered yesterday but shortly before the start of the meeting they learned that the Crown already owned the land.

The information was set out in a letter stamped "urgent" which Mr Ramsey received that morning from the director of the Office of Treaty Settlements, Ross Philipson.

Mr Philipson advised that, following discussions with a Kaipara District Council officer, it was learned that the pa had been on a different site to that originally thought.

The pa had actually been on an adjacent block that had been bought by the Crown in 1976, and in 1978 was gazetted as a reserve for historic purposes. The Dargaville Borough Council was appointed to control and manage it.

"As such, it appears that the underlying owner of the site is the Crown."

Mr Philipson said it was "not appropriate" for the council to discuss selling the site to the Crown, but it could revoke its control and management.

"The Crown could then transfer the site to Te Uri o Hau as part of their treaty settlement package to manage as a reserve under the Reserves Act 1977."

Mr Philipson said his office was aiming to reach a heads of agreement with the hapu within the term of the present Government.

"It is therefore important that we have a clear understanding of the redress we are able to provide prior to the signing of the agreement."

He apologised for any inconvenience the earlier information might have caused.

A spokeswoman for Sir Douglas, who is overseas, agreed there had been a misunderstanding.

Mr Ramsey said the councillors were annoyed that their time had been wasted, and they would seek reimbursement of the costs of calling the special meeting.

The council would not agree to relinquish its management of the site overlooking the Northern Wairoa River until it had consulted the public.

He said there had been "high interest" when news of a sale emerged, with the public gallery packed for yesterday's meeting.

The chairman of the hapu's claims committee, Sir Graham Latimer, was taken aback but pleased at the news. He said the site had been a sticking point, with some elders determined to get it back.